Six weeks ago, it seemed as though Nikola Mirotic would not be a part of the Bulls' future plans. The front office shopped him actively ahead of the Feb. 23 trade deadline in an ongoing effort to open up more minutes for youngsters Bobby Portis and Paul Zipser in the frontcourt. They never ultimately found a deal, and general manager Gar Forman's public comments since then certainly didn't indicate that they envisioned keeping him around long-term.

“Niko hasn't played as well as he would like this year and probably as well as we would like,” Forman said following the deadline, after the Bulls traded Taj Gibson, Doug McDermott and a second-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Cameron Payne, Joffrey Lauvergne and Anthony Morrow. “We need Niko to continue to work and compete and obviously his ability to shoot the basketball and space the floor is important. And we need Niko to play well. And he knows that. He puts pressure on himself...

SALE: Free trial and 30% off

Try The Athletic free for a week to get access to this article and more smart, in-depth coverage. Read and support quality journalism with this limited-time offer.